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- Aug 16, 2002
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In this coaching search, the name that keeps coming up in my mind is Don Shula. I know thats not possible, but it made me think what made Don so good. He maximized the talent that he had rather than forcing personnel into his coaching system. With Czonka, Greise, and the defense in the 70s, he realized a power running game and good defense was going to win. In the 80's it was Marino, Duper, and Clayton who needed to just outscore opponents. Two vastly different styles of play, but Shula was perennially in the playoffs because he played to the talent without wasting seasons where he didnt quite have the right set of cornerbacks, or the right QB, etc. He was a versitile coach who understood its a players game and you need to let them perform to their strengths.
I havent seen that with recent coaches. Jimmy Johnson needed cover corners. Needed speed LBs. Needed a fast pass rush with stout DTs. And most of all, he needed Emmitt Smith. Wannstedt was similar in that he gave up on the offense and tried for 4 years to create a dominant defense that was never enough. Saban was a good coach and is less to blame for this, but still forced the deep ball at times and left the defense in a no-man's land in its transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
In the Miami Herald article today, it discussed how Martz and Lewis may have already eliminated themselves because they seem to want personnel to fit their coaching criteria. I was thrilled to hear this. This says these coaches are not well rounded enough to coach through deficiencies in talent. They are coaches who stick square pegs in round holes. Im not jumping on the Brian Shottenheimer band wagon here, becasue I dont know enough about him, but I read that he will coach around the talent he is given. He is creative and intelligent. This team has some holes and will take a few years via the draft to really get its talent up to snub. In the mean time, we need a coach with the ability to do some talentsmithing with what is given to him. I dont care who we hire, but I like the fact that the Dolphins are looking at coaches who maximize the tools they are given rather than demanding a whole new work bench in their preliminary interviews. From the limited factual insight that is out there, it sounds like Brian Shottenheimer will make it in the next round of interviews, and at age 33, brings to mind another great Dolphins coach who started very young - Don Shula.
I havent seen that with recent coaches. Jimmy Johnson needed cover corners. Needed speed LBs. Needed a fast pass rush with stout DTs. And most of all, he needed Emmitt Smith. Wannstedt was similar in that he gave up on the offense and tried for 4 years to create a dominant defense that was never enough. Saban was a good coach and is less to blame for this, but still forced the deep ball at times and left the defense in a no-man's land in its transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
In the Miami Herald article today, it discussed how Martz and Lewis may have already eliminated themselves because they seem to want personnel to fit their coaching criteria. I was thrilled to hear this. This says these coaches are not well rounded enough to coach through deficiencies in talent. They are coaches who stick square pegs in round holes. Im not jumping on the Brian Shottenheimer band wagon here, becasue I dont know enough about him, but I read that he will coach around the talent he is given. He is creative and intelligent. This team has some holes and will take a few years via the draft to really get its talent up to snub. In the mean time, we need a coach with the ability to do some talentsmithing with what is given to him. I dont care who we hire, but I like the fact that the Dolphins are looking at coaches who maximize the tools they are given rather than demanding a whole new work bench in their preliminary interviews. From the limited factual insight that is out there, it sounds like Brian Shottenheimer will make it in the next round of interviews, and at age 33, brings to mind another great Dolphins coach who started very young - Don Shula.
